The Church Revitalization Checklist: A Hopeful and Practical Guide for Leading Your Congregation to a Brighter Tomorrow

by Sam Rainer

Your church has the opportunity of a lifetime. The world has shifted, and a new, brighter tomorrow awaits. The Church Revitalization Checklist is a tool to help you start fresh, leverage your strengths, and discover hidden opportunities for church growth.

God has placed you exactly where He wants you. But let’s be honest, if you’re leading a church, it isn’t easy. Maybe your church has been in the doldrums for years. Maybe you’re hearing a lot of complaints, and you’re simply tired or disheartened. Maybe you’ve been hurt. But you are not alone. Many church leaders have sore backs from carrying a heavy load. This book will lighten that load.

The Church Revitalization Checklist provides a step-by-step path to a hope-filled future for both you and your church. Popular church expert Sam Rainer will walk you and your leadership team through a seven-point checklist―everything from reconsidering your priorities to evaluating your location and facilities. It is an extremely practical tool to unleash your congregation and help them step into God’s unique purpose for them.

Your brighter future starts now.

Genres: Nonfiction

Audio CD

Published May 31, 2022

About the author

Sam Rainer serves as president of Church Answers. He is the co-founder of Rainer Publishing, and he also serves as lead pastor at West Bradenton Baptist Church in Southwest Florida. Sam has written hundreds of articles for several publications. He is a frequent conference speaker on church health issues. Sam holds a BS in Finance and Marketing from the University of South Carolina, an MA in Missiology from Southern Seminary, and a PhD in Leadership Studies at Dallas Baptist University.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars. I think the challenge for many who have undertaken the challenge of revitalizing a church is, "Where do I start?" This was my question when I took over a church with a century of ups and downs that had led to a significant decline a few years ago. I knew there were many things that needed to be done, but I didn't necessarily know where to start.

In this book, Rainer gives a very practical and helpful list of steps that every church revitalizer should walk through. He acknowledges that it wouldn't be possible to record every step that is necessary in church revitalization, but his seven steps are general enough to fit any context while specific enough to change any specific culture. It was encouraging to go through this and see that we had began to do some of these things in our church and to also be given a list of steps to move forward with. I'm thankful for Rainer's effort in providing clarity to the very complex task of church revitalization.

[Caleb Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam Rainer's "Church Revitalization Checklist" offers a positive, optimistic approach to church revitalization. Aiming to provide practical advice and a proven path, Rainer urges pastors to "know themselves, know their churches, and know their communities," and gives assessment tools for each. He then lays out seven areas or items of revitalization - priorities, pace, perspective, people, place, purpose, and pathways - along with actual accounts of churches following this "checklist" to a renewed health. While not particularly groundbreaking, this is a solid package of resources for any pastor, and it's earned a permanent place on my shelf.

[John Dube · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing groundbreaking here and not quite as practical as the title suggests. What makes this unique is Rainer’s focus on optimism as a means to revitalization. What comes through in this volume is the significance of attitude and mindset. This is more of a pep rally than a lecture. I welcomed it.

[JA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could’ve been shorter. Many helpful lists/assessments

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good insight and help when it comes to not only navigating the ever changing cultural change in church but also dealing with post-Covid era.

[Jason & Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great POST-Covid resource for the church who is struggling and needing to “turn a corner.”

[Zach Barnhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really helpful resource for anyone in church revitalization. Would be a great book to walk through with a leadership team!

[Rev James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overall

Did seem to get a little in the weeds, not having a lot new material, just a little too cozy, buddy and not enough solid. Substance

[Dominic Matranga · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for any pastor walking through church revitalization of a dying church OR an ingrown church. Extremely accessible and practical

[John Mazziott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful and practical read!

[Pablo Jiménez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent Tools for Ministry

Sam Rainer offers solid advice about church revitalization, breaking down the processes in an understandable, manageable and effective way. The idea of the “checklist” is very useful and should not be neglected. If your local church is in need of revitalization, as most congregations in the USA are, this book will be a very useful guide. I recommended wholeheartedly.

[Cory Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book at all, fairly simplistic but that’s not a bad thing.